Authentic Injera (aka Ethiopian Flat Bread)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups ground teff (180 g)
• 2 cups water
• salt, to taste
• vegetable oil, for the skillet

Directions

1. 1

   Mix ground teff with the water and let stand in a bowl covered with a dish towel at room temperature until it bubbles and has turned sour; This may take as long as 3 days, although I had success with an overnight fermentation; The fermenting mixture should be the consistency of a very thin pancake batter.

2. 2

   Stir in the salt, a little at a time, until you can barely detect its taste.

3. 3

   Lightly oil an 8 or 9 inch skillet (or a larger one if you like); Heat over medium heat.

4. 4

   Pour in enough batter to cover the bottom of the skillet; About 1/4 cup will make a thin pancake covering the surface of an 8 inch skillet if you spread the batter around immediately by turning and rotating the skillet in the air; This is the classic French method for very thin crepes; Injera is not supposed to be paper thin so you should use a bit more batter than you would for crepes, but less than you would for a flapjack pancakes.

5. 5

   Cook briefly, until holes form in the injera and the edges lift from the pan; Do not let it brown, and don't flip it over as it is only supposed to be cooked on one side.

6. 6

   Remove and let cool. Place plastic wrap or foil between successive pieces so they don't stick together.

7. 7

   To serve, lay one injera on a plate and ladle your chosen dishes on top (e.g., a lovely doro wat or alicha). Serve additional injera on the side. Guests can be instructed to eat their meal without utensils, instead using the injera to scoop up their food.